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Comment by vixen99 | Hacker News Reader

Why would a march be more significant than the votes of 62 million people?

I agree that an awakening is overdue given that for instance, America’s child poverty levels are worse than in any developed country anywhere, including Greece and only Slovakia, Chile, Mexico and Turkey have worse infant mortality rates. Median adult wealth is 27th out of 27 high-income countries; internet speed and access is 16th out of 34 countries and for people living below the poverty line - US is 36th out of 162 countries, behind Morocco and Albania.

However the US does score a first in its prison population. It comes #1 out of 224 countries. Only China comes close.

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people living below the poverty line - US is 36th out of 162 countries, behind Morocco and Albania

You do realize how ridiculous that stat looks right?

Are you arguing the poor are worse off in the US than in Morocco?

And let me guess, the poverty stat is excluding income transfers?

I swear to god politics has gotten even nuttier in the US than it has been. And it was nutty before! Facts don't matter, crushing your opponent matters. Truth be damned!

*Speaking as an American.

People living below the poverty line seems to be discussing # of people, not their quality of life. Whatever study this is presumably controls for poverty line country-by-country.

So: sure, ridiculous if you came to the stat looking for "worse off," I guess?

and for people living below the poverty line - US is 36th out of 162 countries, behind Morocco and Albania.

What else could that comment be claiming? It wouldn't really make much sense if the claim was "more people live under the poverty line in the US than Morocco, but they are among the most wealthy people in the world."

It does if it's wealth distribution one is interested in and not absolute wealth. Large wealth/income disparity within a country is a bad thing in several ways.

Identity politics hides issues like this more than anything. A poor black person in a ghetto and a poor white one in a trailer park should be the same voting block but they've been polarized by both sides trying to lock down their demographics.

Are you saying poor black and white people are too naive to vote for themselves? Should they vote the way we tell them to? Is principled politics a luxury of the privileged?

I'm not a fan of this meme.

I'm saying the political system is far to tribalistic. We all fall for tribalism but it seems to have become way to set in lately.

I'll agree with that. We discuss membership in groups, not ideas. It's signalling and dog whistles all the way down.

This is what intersectionality addresses. It's meant to address all forms of oppression, including race, class, gender identity, sexuality, sex, religion, ethnicity, etc.

I honestly don't understand why intersectionality has become this bogeyman for mainstream liberals. It attempts to bring people together to fight for common interests.

You're bringing up the popular vote? You know Clinton won that, by 3 million votes?

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